Hazardous chemical release

Hazardous Chemical Release
What programs does the Department of Labor have in place to prevent chemical release accidents?
Consultative services: Free consultative services is available to small employers.
Free training: Workshops, training and consultation in both English and Spanish.
Investigation Process
What triggers an investigation by the N. C. Department
of Labor?
• A worker’s death.
• Hospitalization of three or more employees.
• The department may also receive information of a
serious accident from media reports or referrals from
other government agencies.
How is NCDOL notified?
• An employer must notify NCDOL within eight hours
of a worker’s fatality or the hospitalization of three or
more workers.
What will the investigation focus on?
• The investigation will usually be limited to the events
surrounding the accident unless observations at the site
indicate a broader investigation is needed.
What will happen during the investigation?
• An NCDOL investigator will go to the accident site and
collect physical evidence, including photographs.
• The investigator will interview employees, witnesses
and management officials about the accident to deter-mine
its cause.
• Any violations of safety and health standards will be
noted and citations will be issued.
How long will the investigation take?
• An investigation can take anywhere from a few weeks
to six months, depending on the complexity of the
accident.
When are investigation results disclosed?
• Citations and penalties, if issued, can be released to the
public on the issuance date.
• Other contents of the file cannot be released until the
case is closed or final order on citations is rendered.
The Investigation
The N. C. Department of Labor investigates accidents relating
to the unexpected release of highly hazardous chemicals.
Often, because of the number of employees affected by a
chemical release or the impact on a community surrounding
a release site, these investigations can become high profile
events with significant media coverage.
The most famous chemical release, which prompted various
regulatory responses, was the Bhopal, India, incident in
1984 that resulted in thousands of deaths. A chemical release
can result in a response from numerous governmental agencies.
The OSH investigator may initially begin the investigation
within the frame work of an incident command system
( ICS). The ICS is typically implemented at the local level
by first responders.
If the magnitude of the release dictates, the NCDOL can
activate its Program Quality Verification ( PQV) Team to
conduct an inspection. In the past, accident investigations
have included a chlorine gas leak at a waste water treatment
plant, explosion at a chemical manufacturer, fire at a haz-ardous
waste storage facility, and ammonia leaks at food
manufacturing facilities. When conducting an investigation
in response to the release of toxic, reactive, flammable, or
explosive chemicals, investigators will seek to determine
several factors, including whether:
• The Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous
Chemicals Standard applies to the investigation based
on the quantity of specific chemicals at the site.
• The employer had compiled process safety information
to determine the hazards associated with highly haz-ardous
chemicals.
• A process hazard analysis had been completed to
address the hazards of the process and identification of
any previous incidents that had the potential for cata-strophic
consequences.
• Written operating procedures had been developed for
safely conducting established processes.
• Contractors had been evaluated based on their safety
performance and been informed of the fire, explosion
or toxic release hazards at the work site.
• Training had been provided for employees involved in
operating a process.
• Contract employees had been trained to perform their
jobs.
• Written procedures had been established and imple-mented
to maintain the on- going integrity of process
equipment.
• The employer had investigated each incident that resulted
in or could have reasonably resulted in a catastrophic re-lease
of highly hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
• An emergency action plan had been established and
implemented for the entire plant.
• A compliance audit had been conducted at least once
every three years.
Cherie Berry, Commissioner
N. C. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Division
1101 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699- 1101
www. nclabor. com
1- 800- 625- 2267
Standards: General Industry – 1910.119: Process Safety
Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals
( PSM) Standard
Industry Type: General Industry
Accident Type: Explosions, fires, release of hazardous
substances
Statistical Data: In 2010, NCDOL investigated 49 work-place
fatalities.

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Hazardous Chemical Release
What programs does the Department of Labor have in place to prevent chemical release accidents?
Consultative services: Free consultative services is available to small employers.
Free training: Workshops, training and consultation in both English and Spanish.
Investigation Process
What triggers an investigation by the N. C. Department
of Labor?
• A worker’s death.
• Hospitalization of three or more employees.
• The department may also receive information of a
serious accident from media reports or referrals from
other government agencies.
How is NCDOL notified?
• An employer must notify NCDOL within eight hours
of a worker’s fatality or the hospitalization of three or
more workers.
What will the investigation focus on?
• The investigation will usually be limited to the events
surrounding the accident unless observations at the site
indicate a broader investigation is needed.
What will happen during the investigation?
• An NCDOL investigator will go to the accident site and
collect physical evidence, including photographs.
• The investigator will interview employees, witnesses
and management officials about the accident to deter-mine
its cause.
• Any violations of safety and health standards will be
noted and citations will be issued.
How long will the investigation take?
• An investigation can take anywhere from a few weeks
to six months, depending on the complexity of the
accident.
When are investigation results disclosed?
• Citations and penalties, if issued, can be released to the
public on the issuance date.
• Other contents of the file cannot be released until the
case is closed or final order on citations is rendered.
The Investigation
The N. C. Department of Labor investigates accidents relating
to the unexpected release of highly hazardous chemicals.
Often, because of the number of employees affected by a
chemical release or the impact on a community surrounding
a release site, these investigations can become high profile
events with significant media coverage.
The most famous chemical release, which prompted various
regulatory responses, was the Bhopal, India, incident in
1984 that resulted in thousands of deaths. A chemical release
can result in a response from numerous governmental agencies.
The OSH investigator may initially begin the investigation
within the frame work of an incident command system
( ICS). The ICS is typically implemented at the local level
by first responders.
If the magnitude of the release dictates, the NCDOL can
activate its Program Quality Verification ( PQV) Team to
conduct an inspection. In the past, accident investigations
have included a chlorine gas leak at a waste water treatment
plant, explosion at a chemical manufacturer, fire at a haz-ardous
waste storage facility, and ammonia leaks at food
manufacturing facilities. When conducting an investigation
in response to the release of toxic, reactive, flammable, or
explosive chemicals, investigators will seek to determine
several factors, including whether:
• The Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous
Chemicals Standard applies to the investigation based
on the quantity of specific chemicals at the site.
• The employer had compiled process safety information
to determine the hazards associated with highly haz-ardous
chemicals.
• A process hazard analysis had been completed to
address the hazards of the process and identification of
any previous incidents that had the potential for cata-strophic
consequences.
• Written operating procedures had been developed for
safely conducting established processes.
• Contractors had been evaluated based on their safety
performance and been informed of the fire, explosion
or toxic release hazards at the work site.
• Training had been provided for employees involved in
operating a process.
• Contract employees had been trained to perform their
jobs.
• Written procedures had been established and imple-mented
to maintain the on- going integrity of process
equipment.
• The employer had investigated each incident that resulted
in or could have reasonably resulted in a catastrophic re-lease
of highly hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
• An emergency action plan had been established and
implemented for the entire plant.
• A compliance audit had been conducted at least once
every three years.
Cherie Berry, Commissioner
N. C. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Division
1101 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699- 1101
www. nclabor. com
1- 800- 625- 2267
Standards: General Industry – 1910.119: Process Safety
Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals
( PSM) Standard
Industry Type: General Industry
Accident Type: Explosions, fires, release of hazardous
substances
Statistical Data: In 2010, NCDOL investigated 49 work-place
fatalities.